Hermione Granger, The Lady Fairchilde
by knissjp
Summary: When Hermione comes home after 6th year, she discovers some long hidden family secrets. She must then learn to deal with both the benefits and the downsides to her new situation. WARNINGS: Voldemort didn't survive killing Harry, so there is no dark lord or death eaters, but the blood purists are still around. No pairings at this point, though I reserve the right to change that.
1. Chapter 1

Hermione's mother called her into the kitchen saying that they needed to have a talk. When Hermione sat down, her mother told her the news. "Well, Hermione, my bitch of a mother finally croaked, and even dead she still hates me. It seems she decided to leave everything to you, and leave me out of her will completely. I know there is a lot of money there, so I'm sure you will have no problem giving me some."

Hermione was gobsmacked. She had known that her mother and grandmother didn't get along, but to hear her mother talk of her own mum in such a way was shocking. It was even more shocking when she told her that Grandmum left her money in her will. While she had met her Grandmum a few times, she had never really spent much time with her, due to the relationship, or lack thereof, between Grandmum and her mum. And then for her to ask her to give her money from her inheritance! The nerve! Grandmum obviously had her reasons for leaving mum out of the will, and she would have to talk to Grandmum's solicitor before she made any decisions.

"MUM!" Hermione finally snapped at her mother, "I can't believe you would talk about your own mother that way! And I will have to talk to Grandmum's solicitor before I decide anything. I have no idea what she even left me." And with that Hermione stood up and walked out of the room, only stopping in the doorway to call back to her mother. "I do have to say though, if you treated your mother with the attitude to treat me with, I'm not entirely surprised by her actions, nor do I condemn them." And with that she slammed the door and left her mother sitting angrily at the table.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took Hermione a couple of days to get an appointment with her Grandmum's solicitor. When the day for the appointment came, she apparated to a nearby alley, and walked the short distance to the office. She was met by a secretary and led to a very opulent office, where she was greeted by a grey haired man with a warm smile, wearing an obviously very expensive suit.

"Please, Miss Granger, have a seat," the grey haired man told her, gesturing to a plush chair across from his large ornate desk. "I am Sir Gerald Michaels, I was your late Grandmother's solicitor, and now I am yours, unless you should decide to change that." He said, his smile dimming slightly at the last part.

Hermione Immediatley piped in, bowing her head slightly in deference to his title, "It is wonderful to meet you, Sir Michaels, and at this point I see no reason to look into other solicitors. Frankly, I had no idea my Grandmum was wealthy. Her and my mother did not get along well, unfortunately, and with me being at boarding school for most of the year, my mother did not allow me to leave the house much during the summer."

Sir Michaels scowled at the mention of her mother. "I do not wish to offend you, but the few times I met your mother, I was astounded that such a woman could be raised by your grandmother. It seems the opposite is true with you, however, for your manner and grace is truly like her. Did your mother see fit to give you the comportment lessons she so scoffed at, or are you naturally gifted in this?" he asked with a slight smirk gracing his features.

Hermione shook her head, frowning a little, "I have never had comportment lessons, but I have always prided myself on keeping proper manners, even, or especially when the other party does not. Growing up, I saw how my mother's attitude rebuffed most people she met, and I knew I didn't want that for myself. When I was eleven, I won an academic scholarship to a private boarding school, and I took this opportunity to try and establish new relationships there. Unfortunately, a good sized chunk of the school are from old money, and they looked down on me for not having an oversized trust fund." She chuckled at this, "I never saw it as terribly important. I view money as a tool. If someone had a chisel, they could use it to create a beautiful sculpture. The person would not be known for the fact that they had a chisel, but instead what they did with that chisel. Likewise, if another had the same chisel, but instead of using it to create, simply strutted around his village bragging of his ownership of a coveted chisel, eventually people would grow to resent the man, for he may have a valuable tool, but he is not using it in the manner he could be." Hermione sighed, "I have unfortunately seen firsthand the damage that can be done by the second man, and due to that I have vowed to myself that I would never be like him. I am unsure of what my Grandmum has left me, but I wanted you to know up front that I plan on using it to start a charitable organization, or maybe fund a scholarship like the one I was given as a child. I do not plan buy anything for myself, for I wish to earn a living, not ride on the coattails of my ancestors."

At this, Hermione looked up, and she swore she saw a tear in the older man's eye. He was wearing a huge smile, and gently shook his head. "You sound so much like your Grandmother. She would have loved to know you better. I am sure, though, that in the few times you met, she somehow saw this part of you. If you had been anything like your mother, she would have simply donated her fortune to charity."

Hermione's gaze narrowed, "Fortune? Just how much are we talking here?"

Sir Michaels' smile grew, and his eyes flashed with amusement. "I dare say you could start 10 charitable organizations, and fund a hundred scholarships, and you would still have enough for your children and grandchildren to do the same." Hermione's eyes bulged out at that, but he wasn't quite finished. "I believe the liquid assets are in the neighborhood of 1.5 Billion pounds, but there are many investments, mostly in real estate, that bring the value of the estate to almost 5 Billion. Along with the cottage in Gloucester your grandmother lived in, her private residences included a townhouse in London, a beach house in Brighton, and of course the family land and Fairchilde manor near Marlborough, though that hasn't been lived in since your grandmother was a child. She thought it much to ostentatious for her tastes."

Hermione's jaw dropped at that, and she felt faint. "Oh… Oh, my…" was all she managed to get out. Sir Michaels continued with the shocks though.

"While not a title given by the queen, the matriarch of the Fairchilde family is usually given the title of Lady, most have gone on to earn this title in the eyes of those they have helped. Your ancestor's legacy is one you can be very proud of, _Lady Fairchilde_ " he stated, looking at her intently and emphasizing the last two words to her.

Hermione almost couldn't belive what she was hearing, but she gathered herself, and looking sharply at Sir Michaels, asked a few questions that had come to her. "While I am deeply honored that you would bestow the family name on me in that way, will I be required to take it legally as well? Will my new status become public knowledge, or can I keep my personal life separate, at least until I have learned enough to properly manage my assets, and am ready to acknowledge this honor publicly? I also wish to know if there are any other legal obligations that come with the estate. I know that certain pupils at my school who also claim titles have stipulations attached to their inheritance that include who they can marry and what, if any, jobs they may hold. I do not wish to encumber myself with any familial obligations that I may personally be morally objective to."

Sir Michaels shook his head gently. "No, Miss Granger, there is no obligations attached to the inheritance, including changing your name. If you decide not to change your name, your formal title would then be Hermione Granger, The Lady Fairchilde, rather than Lady Hermione Fairchilde. It is unusual for a female in your family to take her husband's name, as your mother did, and when it has happened in the past, the next generation usually resumed the Fairchilde name. This was usually when a Fairchilde happened to marry someone who stood to inherit from a patriarchal line, and the firstborn son would keep his father's name and legacy, while the firstborn daughter would have the Fairchilde name and legacy. Your mother on the other hand, never really took well to the family code which you seem to embody so well. Forgive me if you already know the story, Miss Granger, but if not, it may give you more insight into the relationship between your mother and grandmother. Your mother left home at 16, taking almost 100,000 pounds from your grandmother's personal accounts with her, a quite substantial sum at the time. She also took one of your grandfather's vehicles, a 1974 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. She had been rebellious before this, but your grandmother believed that she would eventually grow out of it. It was almost a year later when your mother came back to your grandmother's house, reeking of alcohol, and visibly pregnant, with you. She had run out of money, and, forgive me, Miss Granger, she came asking your grandmother to give her money to get an abortion. Your grandmother obviously did not humor her, and instead made her check into rehab, and supported her thoughout the pregnancy, and assisted her in acquiring the necessary training to become a dental hygienist. Your mother told her that in exchange for keeping you, your grandmother would have to give her money, as she did not want to waste her own funds on someone other than herself. Your grandmother tried to get her to allow you to visit her, but whenever she tried, your mother would threaten to take you to an orphanage. She claimed she didn't want your grandmother to be too attached when you, and I quote, _come home in the same state I did_. Your grandmother was a wonderful woman, Miss Granger, and I am awed by how much like her you are, despite not having her in your life."

By this time Hermione was sobbing, having never been told that her mother had tried to have an abortion. She knew that her mother had slept around, and she was married only in name to a man Hermione had never met, and wasn't even sure was her father. She silently thanked her now deceased Grandmum for all she had done for her, since before she was even born. Pulling herself together, she thanked Sir Michaels for telling her the story, indicating that she indeed had not heard it before. She then asked if any of the properties were livable, as she didn't think she could live with her mother anymore, knowing what she now knew, and she also didn't want to have to deal with her mother constantly begging her for money. It would only be until the end of the summer, and then she could finish her 7th year at Hogwarts, graduate, and start working on her goals, which, she considered, would be greatly aided by her inheritance.

She was informed that both her Grandmother's cottage, and the townhouse in London, were both available to be moved in. She chose the townhouse, as she reasoned it would be closer to both Diagon Alley and Kings Cross Station. She also needed to check at the ministry, whether she could inform Sir Michaels of the magical world, which would be very helpful to her, and avoid a lot of questions about where the money was going, why she would have charities with very unusual, at least to a muggle, names. She got the paperwork signed that she needed to immediately, and asked about any personal accounts, as, if she was going to be a Lady, she would need to buy some things for herself after all, simply so she would be better prepared, and not stand out among High Society. Sir Michaels indicated he understood, and informed her that Barclays would be expecting her to arrange transfer of her grandmother's personal accounts. She thanked him, and bid him a good day, and left the office, still a bit shell shocked at all she had learned today. She caught a cab to Barclay's where she transferred the accounts. She also withdrew 50,000 pounds in cash, which she would take to Gringotts, and have converted to Galleons. Feeling quite exhausted from her long day, she caught another cab to her new townhouse, thanking Merlin it was furnished, and crashed on the large bed in the master suite.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I am going to try for at least 1 chapter a week, but I am a truck driver, so I won't always have time. I am glad so many people liked this story, and hope you like where it goes. R&R!

XXXXXXXXXX

The next morning Hermione woke up, confused at first where she was, but it all came back to her fairly quickly. She groaned, thinking of all the things she needed to get done today, but not really wanting to get out of bed. It was, she thought to herself, quite a bit more comfortable than either her bed at home, or at Hogwarts. Eventually she got up, and got ready for the day. She knew her first stop had to be Gringotts, so she could convert her pounds over to Galleons. She left her townhouse, and realized there was a garage out back. As she had gotten her license last summer, when she was 16, she decided to see if there was anything in there rather than calling for a cab. When she opened the door, she was shocked. There was a silver convertible that she recognized as a Bentley. She saw the keys were hanging by the door, and excitedly grabbed them, deciding to have a bit of fun. It was a sunny day, and so she put the top down, and drove to Charring Cross Road, where the Leaky Cauldron was located. Finding a parking garage nearby, she parked her new car, and walked the short distance to the Leaky. After she entered Diagon Alley, she headed for Gringotts. After converting and depositing her money with a slightly shocked goblin, who eyed her curiously as if wondering where this young witch acquired such a large sum of money, she decided to ask the goblin if they had any way to transfer funds between a muggle bank and Gringotts without withdrawing large amounts of cash. The goblin informed her that they did have a service, but there was a minimum amount of 5,000 Galleons per transfer to discourage people from doing it often. He explained it was mostly used by muggleborns transferring permanently into the wizarding world. She told him she would need to talk to the Ministry about letting her estate manager in on the secret of magic before she could transfer the money.

"No, Miss Granger, you do not. As you are an of age witch, you are able to tell Muggles of the secret, but in turn you become personally responsible if they break the Statute. If you trust this estate manager to keep the secret, you may tell him at any time. When you do, please escort him here, and we can discus with him the options of transferring some accounts here, since I am assuming you plan on remaining in the Magical world upon your graduation from Hogwarts?" The goblin explained. Hermione frowned, "I do, but I also am quite used to my muggle amenities, and do not wish to live in a wizarding dwelling. I also plan to keep the appearance of a wealthy eccentric in the muggle world, so I while I will probably move a majority of my assets here, I still plan to keep some in the Muggle world."

"Perfectly understanable, Miss Granger," the goblin gave a toothy grin, "While it is not well known, we goblins use electric lights under Gringotts. The number of fires prevented by not having candles to knock over is astronomical." The goblin chuckled at that, and Hermione gave a knowing smile. She then thanked the goblin, and left to go see Sir Michaels.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Arriving at Sir Michaels' office, she asked his secretary if he was free, and was told to go on back. Steeling herself, she entered his office, greeted him, and sat in the same chair she had sat in the previous day. She told him she had something important to tell him, and asked him to let her finish her story before he asked any questions. He agreed, looking a little puzzled. Hermione took a deep breath and began. She told of how she had strange things happen to her when she was younger, and her invitation to Hogwarts at 11, and that she was about to enter her final year, after which she planned to start a muggleborn advocacy group. She explained her long term goals of trying to change some of the more bigoted laws that remained on the books, even though quite a few had been repealed following the defeat of Voldemort in 1981.

Once she had finished explaining, she looked up at Sir Michaels, hoping he would be understanding, and she wouldn't have to call in a ministry obliviator. She was surprised to find him smiling widely. He chuckled at the worried look on her face, "Miss Granger, I am actually already aware of the wizarding world; I have a grandson in his 5th year. You are a Gryffindor, right?" he asked, smiling when she nodded, "You probably never met my grandson, then, he is a Slytherin." Sir Michaels gave a rueful smile. "He has had it a bit rough, being a muggleborn in Slytherin, but the hat said that his ambition was too great for any other house. Like you, he wishes to repeal some of the muggleborn laws, but he wants to take it even further; he says he plans to be minister someday." Sir Michaels chuckled, "I don't doubt he will do it, either."

Hermione gave him a bit of a smirk, "I am aware of the stigma between Gryffindor and Slytherin, but I am only in Gryffindor because I was able to convince the Hat that people would be quite suspicious of a Muggleborn in Slytherin, and I would be better placed to achieve my ambitions there. I do not know your grandson, though I think I might know of him." Hermione smiled, "Although he sounds like someone I would very much like to meet. Maybe we could work together to better achieve our goals."

Sir Michaels smiled broadly at that. He thought to himself that Ryan would be excited to meet her, too. He then brought the meeting back on track. "I assume that you have a reason to inform me of your magical nature, other than just to tell me." Hermione nodded, pulling a few papers out of her bag.

"Yes, I do. I want to transfer a large portion of my liquid assets to Gringotts, not only will most of my business and charities be in the wizarding world, I have also been informed that the goblins offer an excellent interest rate, as well as investment plans. Plus, as my children will most likely also be magical, I wish to acquire assets in the magical world as well." Sir Michaels nodded his head at that, understanding the purpose behind the action.

"It shouldn't raise any questions, as long as Gringotts is able to show that the money is being transferred to another bank." He said smiling, "I can definitely get started on that." Hermione grinned, handing him the papers from Gringotts to authorize the transfer. She told him that she wanted to transfer 1 billion out of the 1.5 billion in liquid assets over to Galleons, which should equate to around 200 million Galleons. She signed the necessary papers, and asked Sir Michaels if there was anything else that he needed her to take care of today.

"I don't believe so, Miss Granger, but can I suggest you get a mobile phone? I know most magicals do not have phones, but Ryan discovered that if you transform a case out of pure iron, and carve a symbol on it, that it will work in magical environments. I would have to ask him for the details, but this past year he was able to call me from Hogwarts. It would be very helpful if you were able do the same, as there will be times that I may need to get your opinion on a matter, and I am unfortunately quite allergic to owls." Hermione's eyes gleamed at the information about the phones. She quickly agreed to purchase one, and asked if Sir Michaels could arrange a meeting between her and Ryan to discuss that and other things as well. Sir Michaels agreed, and they said their goodbyes.

Hermione walked out of the office, grinning once more upon seeing the Bentley in the lot. She had never dreamed that she would be able to ride in one, let alone own one. Not many knew it, but Hermione loved cars. She recalled with fondness the boy she had met 2 summers ago at her local dirt track, who let her drive his car a few times around the track. She had reveled in the speed and adrenaline that came with driving a fast car, and wished she could afford to have her own car. Now her wish had come true, and while the Bentley was more of a car to cruise in, rather than go race, it still was fairly fast. She wondered if there were other cars at some of the other properties, and wrote a note to ask Sir Michaels if he knew the next time she visited him.

On her way back to her townhouse, she decided to do some shopping, both for food, which she knew that she needed, and for the cell phone she wanted. She also decided to get a laptop computer, and see if the same could be done with it. Once she was finished shopping, she went back home. She decided she would do her Diagon alley shopping the next day, as she was quite tired from the day's activities. She had a relaxing supper, and a glass of some expensive wine that she had found in a rack in the cellar. Feeling tired, she went to bed, knowing it would be a long day tomorrow again.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: Just to clarify, in this fic, the Potters all died, and Voldemort did as well. Most of the death eaters simply blended back into society. No one is really outspoken about disliking muggleborns, but it is more of a quiet shunning, and not acknowledging that they are contributing members of society. There are very few muggleborns employed at the ministry, most are privately employed or left to find work abroad.

I know I got reviews asking about pairings, and to be honest, with where I want to go with this story, I'm not entirely sure who I will pick, although it may end up being an OC. (hint) The story will pick up more in the next few chapters, and we will probably be back at Hogwarts by chapter 4-5. I foresee a good bit of plot building happening at Hogwarts, although most of the "meat" of the story will be after graduation.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Sorry for the long wait, folks. I've had a very busy last month, I started at a new company for work, and had to deal with all that transition entails. Hopefully I can update more regularly. My muse tends to hide away when I am stressed. ;)

xxxxx

Hermione awoke the next morning, once again loving her new bed. She stretched, getting up and starting her day. Knowing it would be another long, busy day, she got dressed and ate some breakfast. Sitting at the breakfast table, she made a to do list of what she wanted to do for the day. Deciding to get started, she gathered her things, and left, driving the Bentley to Diagon Alley again.

Arriving at Gringotts, she asked to see her account manager. "Good morning, Miss Granger, I am Picktooth, and I have been assigned as your account manager. What can Gringotts do for you today?" the goblin introduced.

"It is nice to meet you, Picktooth," Hermione stated, "and please, call me Hermione." She smiled, and the goblin nodded his acknowledgement. "I have some forms to submit authorizing a transfer from my muggle bank account, I had my estate manager fill them out with all the pertinent information." Hermione said as she handed the forms over to the goblin. Picktooth's eyes widened at the amount, but said nothing. He placed the forms into an in/out tray and it flashed and they disappeared. He told her that her funds should be transferred within two or three days.

Hermione nodded, then asked, "I was hoping to either buy, or get partial ownership of a few businesses, such as the daily prophet, and also wanted to look into buying some rental properties." She stated. Picktooth agreed that he would look into buying shares in the Daily Prophet, but then told her that renting housing was not really done in the magical world, most people either owned their homes, or they had mortgages through Gringotts.

Hermione was surprised, and had to ask, "But what do people without enough money to buy a home, or sufficient income to have a mortgage do?" Picktooth grimaced, "it is usually muggleborns, and some half-bloods that fall into that category, as most purebloods either inherit properties from family, or have enough in the bank to purchase a home for their offspring. Most that would have enough money to purchase properties to rent out, do not wish to rent to the demographic that would utilize it."

Hermione looked horrified. "That's terrible! Well, that will have to be one of my first priorities. I would guess then, that there are no existing properties that have multiple apartments?" she asked. Picktooth shook his head. He told her that she would have to buy land, and build. She got a list of magical builders, and asked if any of them were muggleborn, or at least familiar with the muggle world. She reasoned that since most of her tenants would most likely be muggleborns or half-bloods, that some of them might want muggle amenities in their homes.

Picktooth said he would look into that, and she told him that she would like to build a complex of 10 apartments, each with 2 bedrooms, near London, and build another complex, this one with at least 20 apartments, both 1 and 2 bedroom units, near Hogsmeade to start, but asked that the properties have land to expand if she wanted to in the future. She got asked him to get some quotes together from a few builders for her to look at, and then they could decide which would be best.

She also told him to keep an eye out for people coming in for business loans, that may not qualify for a Gringotts loan, but have a good business plan, and would possibly be willing to enter into a partnership. She thanked him for his assistance and bid him a good day, leaving for the alley to do some more shopping.

Arriving back in the alley, she purchased a number of potion ingredients and supplies, completed potions that were good to have on hand, and a full wizarding wardrobe in high quality materials and cuts. She also purchased a four compartment high security trunk, one that had a wardrobe compartment, library compartment, potions ingredient storage compartment, and a general storage compartment. She also purchased an owl, naming her Athena, after the greek goddess of wisdom and war. Shopping done for the day, she made her way back to her car, and then home.

Once she got home, she organized her purchases, and used her landline to call Sir Michaels, who had set up a meeting with his grandson, for that evening. They met in a nice muggle restaurant, and Ryan and Hermione hit it off quite well, discussing many topics, including their goals for the wizarding world, and made a tentative agreement to become allies. He also gave her his notes for how to create the magic shielding case for her phone, and told her that it should work on any electronic device.

After a very satisfying meeting, they parted, and Hermione left and went home, where she proceeded to make a case for both her phone and laptop. She sent text messages to both Ryan and Sir Michaels, so that they had her cell phone number.


End file.
